This is based on a true story.

Stories of family feuds over money are a dime a dozen. They are deadlier and more intense than quarrels among friends or business partners. Blood is thicker when it comes to conflict. But here is a different story that warms the heart.

Vincent became a billionaire the hard way. His mother, Elizabeth, who was a pharmacist, had a small business selling homemade deodorant to friends. The nuns at a convent started buying her product in bulk. Through word of mouth, the news about her product spread quickly through the town. Soon, she could no longer cope with the orders that she produced in her garage. So she built a small factory in her big backyard. And the business kept growing.

She asked her three daughters and four sons for help in expanding production and marketing to the nearby towns. But they were all “busy.” At the time, Vincent, the youngest, had just graduated with a Master’s Degree in Marketing, summa cum laude, from the famous London School of Economics.

Elizabeth asked Vincent, her favorite child, to help her and he readily agreed. They had become very close when, as a boy, he accompanied her to Mass at a local church every day. When she asked him to help her with the business, he excitedly jumped into it.

Vincent first repackaged the product, using a roll-on container with a plastic ball for easy application, instead of a bottled liquid that was applied by hand, which was messy. He named the deodorant Instant Joy, with a logo and a nice pink label. He did not realize then this simple marketing design could rival the big multinationals.

Vincent went to Manila with two 16-wheelers loaded with Instant Joy, and started selling house-to-house eight hours a day, six days a week. In less than a month, he needed a new shipment. This time, he graduated from selling to homes to selling to large stores with many branches in the city. And he also graduated from 16-wheelers to shipping containers. It was a marketing explosion beyond his imagination.

Vincent was not satisfied. His son in Norwalk, California opened their first US outlet which grew to a dozen in no time. To make a long story short, Vincent was dubbed the deodorant tycoon.

When his mother died, at the wake, all his siblings stared at him green with envy, seeing how he had made a fortune in such a short time. They all wanted a piece of the action, arguing that they were part of the family business. Vincent refused because he did all the work and they had done nothing. So, off to the courts they went. His siblings sued Vincent to the high heavens. It was a quick court decision. The judge awarded the business to the one who had built the empire — Vincent.

But Vincent loved all his siblings. He was not hurt when they sued him. When one sister got cancer of the ovary, he footed the bill. When a brother needed money after his business failed, he helped without hesitation.

MARGARET: (his eldest sister) — Vincent, you are a true brother who loves us, even though we have hurt you so much. We are sorry. We love you.

VINCENT: No matter how bad things were, family is forever. I also love all of you.

Margaret starts to sob. The others follow. They all go up to him and embrace him.